Sports & IPR Fun Facts

Basketballs were dark brown in color until 1950s when Butler University men’s head basketball coach – Tony Hinkle reworked the ball, changing its colour to orange which players could easily see. He also added some stitching lines for better grip.

While most sports equipment is patented, it is rare for an entire sport to be protected. In 1874, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield was granted British Patent No. 685 for “a new and improved portable court for playing the ancient game of tennis.” He called his version “Sphairistiké” (Greek for “ball-playing”). The patent included the design of the hourglass-shaped court, the net, and even the rules of the game. Wingfield sold the game in “box sets” containing all the necessary equipment. When the patent expired in 1877, the All England Croquet Club held the first Wimbledon Championship, standardizing the rectangular court we use today.

Practicing against a consistent bowler was revolutionized by Indian Patent No. 1560/DEL/2003, granted for “An improved cricket ball throwing machine”. Unlike early manual versions, this granted patent covered a device capable of throwing a ball at a predetermined speed, spin, and direction with extreme accuracy. This allowed professional batsmen to practice specific weaknesses, such as a “moving” out-swinger or a 150 km/h yorker, for hours without needing a human bowler.

Dunking in basketball used to be a dangerous affair, not for the players, but for the glass backboards which would frequently shatter under the force. In 1982, Arthur Ehrat was granted U.S. Patent No. 4,365,802 for a “pressure release net support assembly,” known today as the breakaway rim. The design used a spring-and-hinge mechanism that allowed the rim to flex downward when a player slammed the ball, absorbing the energy that previously would have shattered the backboard. This single patent allowed the “Slam Dunk” to become the centrepiece of modern basketball entertainment.

Following high-profile injuries, the design of the cricket helmet underwent a legal and physical transformation. UK Patent No GB2535639 (and subsequent grants) covers improved “Neck guards” or “StemGuards” that attach to the back of a standard helmet. This IP protects a honeycomb-style attachment that absorbs high-velocity impacts to the vulnerable area of the neck, showing how a single granted design can fundamentally change safety standards across a global sport.

The term “World Cup” which sounds like a generic description of a global sporting event is protected as a trademark by FIFA across multiple jurisdictions, including registrations and filings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For instance, FIFA has secured protection for variations like “WORLD CUP” and “FIFA WORLD CUP” for entertainment and related services, with certain registrations achieving live/renewed status over time.

Golf has long been one of the most heavily patented sports, with hundreds of patents granted annually and thousands covering everything from club heads to dimple patterns on balls. In fact, just a handful of major players, such as Fila Korea Limited, Karsten, Callaway, TaylorMade and Bridgestone have historically accounted for over 90% of golf-related patent filings in the U.S. Patent battles in golf have involved hundreds of millions of dollars, with courts even briefly banning flagship products during disputes.